Items filtered by date: Monday, 03 April 2017

Tonight is the night.Local celebrities and fans took to social media to share their excitement to watch the Manila concert of British rock band Coldplay at the Mall of Asia Arena open grounds.Host-actress Anne Curtis posted a photo of her “A Head Full of Dreams” ticket on Instagram and shared how Coldplay’s songs played important parts in her life.“Soooooo excited. Coldplays music has played such a big role in my life. Like, I can’t even explain it. Fix You was my song to myself during a low point of heartbreak. I cried when I heard them play it LIVE for the first time back in 2011 at Splendour in the grass. A Rush of Blood to the Head was and still is my fave album,” Curtis wrote in the caption.

“Hoping they play a mix of new and old songs!!! Songs I can super relate to until now are The Scientist, Warning Sign, Magic, In My Place, Clocks, Swallowed in the Sea, Amsterdam, The Hardest Part, A Sky Full of Stars, Everglow, Viva La Vida and Something Just Like This!!! Ok. Mej madami. So ready to sing my heart out!!!!!” she said.

Known Coldplay fan Maine Mendoza also could not contain her excitement upon the arrival of frontman Chris Martin in the country. On Twitter, Mendoza wrote: “OH MY GADDDDDD” and “TODAY. IS. THE. DAY.”

Dance duo Ella Cruz and Julian Trono on Instagram said they will watch the concert together. An excited Dani Barretto on Monday said she has been listening to Coldplay’s music all day.As of writing, the hashtag #ColdplayManila is the second top trending topic on Twitter Philippines.The concert, which sold 35,000 tickets, is expected to be the biggest live event in the country this year. Here’s what other fans have to say.

Cardo Dalisay of ABS-CBN hit series "Ang Probinsyano" would have been proud.The call of duty went beyond work hours for PO2 Joselito Lantano, who ended a bus robbery by shooting the armed suspect before he could fire at him.Lantano and around 20 others were riding a Diamond Star bus traversing EDSA en route to Malanday early Tuesday when a fellow passenger declared a robbery.Passengers interviewed by ABS-CBN News said they heard a gunshot from the back of the bus just before the vehicle reached EDSA Kamuning.The man who fired the gun declared a hold-up and shouted for the bus driver to keep the bus moving as he walked to the front.Sitting in front was Lantano, the off-duty cop, who woke up after hearing the gunshot and readied his own firearm."I knew the sound of a gunshot and I sensed a hold-up was happening," he said.

FIRST STRIKELantano said he decided to shoot first before letting the assailant know he was a police officer."I looked to the back and saw him readying to fire at me, so I shot back, almost at the same time," he said in Filipino.

Three shots later and the gunman was dead.Still, Lantano had to check if the bus robber had accomplices on board."Walang tatayo sa likod kundi puputukan ko kayo!" he shouted."I asked the passengers to raise their hands and place them on top of the headrests. It was the only way to identify the robber's companions," he said.He told a student who was also on the bus to take video of the aftermath.The bus was soon stopped by a police mobile parked under the flyover near the intersection of EDSA and Quezon Avenue.Each bus passenger was let off one by one and frisked by authorities.Some of the bus passengers ratted out two men who turned out to have been carrying a bladed weapon and a caliber .38 gun. The two, who were identified as James Medrano and Mark Lee Mahinay, denied they were involved in the hold-up.

PROMOTION IN ORDER?Lantano's presence of mind and swift action impressed Quezon City Police District director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, who also arrived at the crime scene.He said he is planning to file a recommendation for Lantano's promotion."This shows how alert our police are and should be. Even if he was off-duty and going home, he was ready to face danger," Eleazar said.Lantano, a policeman for 20 years, has worked under the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG) based in Crame since 2009.Before that, he trained and was assigned with the PNP Special Action Force.Lantano was recognized by the PSPG in 2013 for arresting suspects of an "akyat bahay" robbery group he caught in the act and chased in Batasan Hills, Quezon City.For Lantano, his only thoughts were on making sure he survived the encounter for the sake of his 2 children living with him in Bulacan. Both are still in high school."I'm just glad that I did my job," he said.

MANILA, Philippines - Russia is now laying the groundwork for President Duterte’s visit to Moscow next month by identifying possible areas of cooperation, Russian Ambassador Igor Anatolyevich Khovaev said yesterday.

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The envoy, however, said Russia would not send military troops to the Philippines nor is it seeking a military alliance with the country.

“We are now preparing for the historic visit of President Duterte in May,” Khovaev said in a message yesterday in a meeting of the Philippine Russian Business Assembly.

Duterte said he would be visiting Russia on May 25.

Khovaev said Russia is ready to help the Philippines in many areas, including security, through the provision of arms, as well as joint military exercises.

“The two countries have to deal with specific threats such as terrorism, extremism, piracy, illegal drug trafficking so it is natural to combine efforts. No nation is able to cope with these challenges on its own. That is why we are ready to share our experience, arms, weapons and other necessary equipment. Also, training and joint military exercises, but we don’t seek military alliance and we will not send our troops,” Khovaev said in an interview after the meeting.Aside from security, he said that Russia is ready to cooperate with the Philippines in different fields such as trade and investments, political, education, culture, tourism, science and technology, as well as agriculture.

“We are looking forward to cooperation in different fields. It will be a milestone in the history of our relations and it should be successful. It is in the long-term interest of the two countries and it will greatly contribute to the regional stability and sustainable development,” he said.

Duterte has said he wants Russia to be an ally.

During his visit, the President intends to have a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he already met in November 2016, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Peru.